oleman Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Our Home Owners association sent me a notice that I was supposed to have grass growing in my small front yard. Trouble is that my live oak tree shades most of the yard and we all know that the oak kills every thing off in its' shade. Has been 100F for the past month and HOA is worried about green lawns. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoshoe Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Cut tree down or ASTRO turf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Kirsch Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 6 minutes ago, snoshoe said: Cut tree down or ASTRO turf I'm guessing both of those are also unacceptable to the HOA. They'll complain that you cut down the tree. They'll complain about the noise and mess even if you clean it up. They'll complain about the stump if it's there overnight. They'll complain that you don't have a tree and tell you you need to plant another one. Frankly this is probably one of the LAST places you'd want to post to about kowtowing to an HOA. There is grass seed specifically for shaded areas... Have you tried that? What does the HOA suggest? OH they have no suggestions? Not surprising. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iowaboy1965 Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 I would 2nd trying grass for shaded areas. Also agree that living under any hoa is not high on my list of things to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearclash Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Just mention of HOA sends my blood pressure soaring. If I had to deal with them my response would not be printable here. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacAR Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Zoysia grass grows well in the shade, and does well in the heat also. You can probably get it as sod, and fill in the area the HOA is b!tch!ng about. Now, were I in your shoes (thankfully I'm not) I'd go to the garden center, get some border stones and topsoil, and build the biggest veggie garden I could. Squash, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Peppers grow fairly decent in the shade fyi. Then when the HOA comes to b!tch at you, hand them a bag of veg, give 'em the bird, and shut the door in their face! Mac 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete1468 Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Rent a sod cutting machine and take some from each of your neighbors. 2 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowrosefarm Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Is mulch or rock an option? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oleman Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 In the past I re-sodded the front with ST Augustine, replacing coastal Bermuda that had died off after a few years, within 2 years the STA was basically dead. Yes, I need 2 trees in front, currently have a cedar elm and a live oak, growing fairly well for this area and shading the lawn. Actually there are other options available, The neighbor behind me has put together a flowering yard with flowers in bloom most of the year. She has spent much more time and effort than I intend to spend on cosmetics, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Move to rural Texas. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
int 504 Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Pave it and paint it green. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stronger800 Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 A professional landscaping place will probably have some seed that will grow there. One of my neighbors struggled with trying to get grass under one of his trees for probably 10 years, then he got a hold of somebody that knew what they were talking about, they sold him some little plugs of sod and he planted them two or three years ago, they filled in and it’s all grass now. Completely shaded or close to it. I remember thinking it was ridiculously expensive though 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihfan4life Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Put a gravestone there with HOA on it, then set out some plastic flowers… 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 If you don't want to move, Become a board member or president of the HOA and change the rules. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainman Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Hostas/ Funkia/ Plantain Lily do well in shade. Ground covers tolerant in shade probably best. As you experienced grass under trees is a challenge & never ending reseeding annually. Do you have irrigation & fertilization ? I was down in McKinney area visiting friends a few years ago & I think Zone 8 is your Hardiness Map area. Also Sedum/Stonecrop species with over 300 varieties might be another choice to look at... Hire your neighbor lady to be your yard consultant ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaredT Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 My HOA is my wife, and she is half Saint. (she married me -proof enough). But complaints have to filed with a solution, we work well that way. Tell your HOA, when they figure out how to fix to let you know. My closest neighbor is .25 mile away, we get along great, still to close for me though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyfarm Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Do your lawns get watered? I'm just guessing the grass gets very little moisture and lots of baking heat. Here the creek police have a defined grass growing season and it isnt summer. We have a property with 3 large 50 some year old oaks. The grass slowly grows underneath them but we aren't in the Texas heat so no comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardtail Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Fill the HOA's garden hoses with roundup at night 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars (midessa) Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 I have vegetation under my oaks, just make sure the canopy is not too low. I have all my trees trimmed up high enough I can walk under them without ducking, I’m 6’0”. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Englander Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 Soil test? Maybe it's not just the shade. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Doctor Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 Sorry, but if I looked at a piece of property and they said it was covered by an HOA, I would have walked away. I don't believe in others telling me how to live. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KWRB Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 Massive landscaping all the way around. Grass can't grow in flagstones. Plus, what better place to put a picnic table than on a stone patio, in the shade. That said, there are some real gems in this thread already! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtfireman85 Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 I use “Austin’s Mix” which is a blend my local store puts together. I can take a picture of the label, then I fertilize with 10 10 10, mine are white oak, but they are very big, perhaps the crown height helps, but grass grows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Kirsch Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 Does the HOA require grass, or just that it be some kind of landscaping? It would not surprise me to learn that the HOA mandates grass and you can't have a vegetable garden or cover it with stone, or park an old car there on cinder blocks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oleman Posted August 8 Author Share Posted August 8 21 hours ago, acem said: Move to rural Texas. I have been looking at Wolf City TX, the closest Walmart is only 20 miles away, was a cotton growing area over by Greenville TX. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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